Arrival and Flight
Flight from Toronto was great, left on time but took a bit longer to get there due to a hurricaine in Cuba which we had to fly around. Arrival at airport was ok, took awhile to get through the usual line ups. Transfer from the airport was fairly quick, they split our group up into two small buses instead of one of the larger coaches which seemed a bit odd but we were at the hotel in 40 minutes. check in left a bit to be desired, there was only about 5 familys/couples checking in but there was only one person working at the counter so it took a little more than an hour to check in. We were not asked for a credit card imprint at check in but found out the hard way later that if you wish to do any watersports etc with a fee then you must have one on file or pay cash at the reception desk for each thing. We also were not given our safe key (free) at check in and had to come down the next day to request it.

Rooms
All in all the rooms were ok, I found them quite a bit smaller than I've found in Dominican or Cuba etc, we were on the 5th floor, rooms 543 (my husband and myself) and 544 (3 pre teens). I was a bit shocked to walk into my room and find a full sized patio door in the middle of the room, apparently they had been in the middle of replacing them and somebody forgot to remove it. Other than that our room was fine, not to say it couldn't have used a fresh coat of paint and a little freshening up but heck, you only see the rooms to sleep in so who cares. The kid's room was a little more of a problem, the air conditioning didn't work and the patio door didn't close (2 inch gap,mosquitoes were getting in) and there was a ton of water all over the floor. I must say that one phone call to front desk and all issues (except air conditioner -fixed next morning) were repaired within an hour.

Arrival and Flight
Flight from Toronto was great, left on time but took a bit longer to get there due to a hurricaine in Cuba which we had to fly around. Arrival at airport was ok, took awhile to get through the usual line ups. Transfer from the airport was fairly quick, they split our group up into two small buses instead of one of the larger coaches which seemed a bit odd but we were at the hotel in 40 minutes. check in left a bit to be desired, there was only about 5 familys/couples checking in but there was only one person working at the counter so it took a little more than an hour to check in. We were not asked for a credit card imprint at check in but found out the hard way later that if you wish to do any watersports etc with a fee then you must have one on file or pay cash at the reception desk for each thing. We also were not given our safe key (free) at check in and had to come down the next day to request it.

Rooms
All in all the rooms were ok, I found them quite a bit smaller than I've found in Dominican or Cuba etc, we were on the 5th floor, rooms 543 (my husband and myself) and 544 (3 pre teens). I was a bit shocked to walk into my room and find a full sized patio door in the middle of the room, apparently they had been in the middle of replacing them and somebody forgot to remove it. Other than that our room was fine, not to say it couldn't have used a fresh coat of paint and a little freshening up but heck, you only see the rooms to sleep in so who cares. The kid's room was a little more of a problem, the air conditioning didn't work and the patio door didn't close (2 inch gap,mosquitoes were getting in) and there was a ton of water all over the floor. I must say that one phone call to front desk and all issues (except air conditioner -fixed next morning) were repaired within an hour.

Arrival: December 2008
We booked 2 weeks at the Starfish over Christmas.....mistake.... BIG mistake! The place is poorly run, run down and grossly over rated and over priced!

Initial check-in was fairly painless as there were relatively few guests who arrived at the same time we did.

We had paid extra for a cottage, and thank God we did as some of the horror stories we heard about the rooms in the main hotel building were awful.

The room was OK but I reckon the maids only worked part time. We had to ask for the complimentary mini-bar to be stocked - it was stocked once during our time there (3 small bottles of water and 5 small bottles of sickly Jamaican pop between 4 people for a 2 week stay). There was no hot water, the power kept tripping out, the key-cards wouldn't work, and the kid's bunk bed was on the brink of collapsing each time one of them turned over in the night!

The hotel shop was small and rip-off prices....I bought some decongestant tablets (2 for $2!) - they had an expiry date on the packets of March 2008! The staff were ignorant....plus they never had any change so we ended up walking away with them owing US money each time!

Arrival: December 2008
We booked 2 weeks at the Starfish over Christmas.....mistake.... BIG mistake! The place is poorly run, run down and grossly over rated and over priced!

Initial check-in was fairly painless as there were relatively few guests who arrived at the same time we did.

We had paid extra for a cottage, and thank God we did as some of the horror stories we heard about the rooms in the main hotel building were awful.

The room was OK but I reckon the maids only worked part time. We had to ask for the complimentary mini-bar to be stocked - it was stocked once during our time there (3 small bottles of water and 5 small bottles of sickly Jamaican pop between 4 people for a 2 week stay). There was no hot water, the power kept tripping out, the key-cards wouldn't work, and the kid's bunk bed was on the brink of collapsing each time one of them turned over in the night!

The hotel shop was small and rip-off prices....I bought some decongestant tablets (2 for $2!) - they had an expiry date on the packets of March 2008! The staff were ignorant....plus they never had any change so we ended up walking away with them owing US money each time!

Flight:
The late flight was great, we arrived in Jamaica at 10:00 pm and got to the hotel at around 11:30 and checked in and all it was about 1:00, check in was a little slow, but it was night, so we didn’t miss much. We got a chance to meet a couple cool people in line.Departure flight was also late, also great; we got to leave Jamaica the hotel at 7:00 so we enjoyed a full day of sun. We got there late, and left late we enjoyed a full 7 day vacation.

Weather:
The weather was awesome, sometimes there were clouds, and it rained for like 2-3 mines then it stopped and the sun would come back out. (November is still hurricane season)

Pools:
4 pools on the premises, the pool by the buffet the only one with a swim up bar, not used ever, mostly in the shade, which can be good for those who burned on the first day.
The second pool by the water slide, not used except for the water slide. The slide was Awesome, I’m a 27 year old woman, and I loved it. So much fun!
3rd pool by the entertainment stage was great where I spend time if I ever went to the pool, not very often though, we would lie on the middle part, and tan.
4th pool, with the pool tables in it, deeper, and cool to lounge in with the chairs.
To be honest with you we didn’t spend much time at the pool, we came for the beaches

Flight:
The late flight was great, we arrived in Jamaica at 10:00 pm and got to the hotel at around 11:30 and checked in and all it was about 1:00, check in was a little slow, but it was night, so we didn’t miss much. We got a chance to meet a couple cool people in line.Departure flight was also late, also great; we got to leave Jamaica the hotel at 7:00 so we enjoyed a full day of sun. We got there late, and left late we enjoyed a full 7 day vacation.

Weather:
The weather was awesome, sometimes there were clouds, and it rained for like 2-3 mines then it stopped and the sun would come back out. (November is still hurricane season)

Pools:
4 pools on the premises, the pool by the buffet the only one with a swim up bar, not used ever, mostly in the shade, which can be good for those who burned on the first day.
The second pool by the water slide, not used except for the water slide. The slide was Awesome, I’m a 27 year old woman, and I loved it. So much fun!
3rd pool by the entertainment stage was great where I spend time if I ever went to the pool, not very often though, we would lie on the middle part, and tan.
4th pool, with the pool tables in it, deeper, and cool to lounge in with the chairs.
To be honest with you we didn’t spend much time at the pool, we came for the beaches

Arrival: Feb 10 - 17
Flight was on time, the bus for transfer to the hotel was not at the airport when we arrived, but it did arrive within half an hour....it took approx. 35 minutes to arrive at hotel....smooth check in....as I was first in line!!

Rooms
Rooms are in a need of an upgrade, rather disappointing on initial arrival, but after a few days, the room grew on us......bathroom sadly needs major makeover, but we had lots of hot water most days and lots of pressure for showers etc...the tv had tons of channels, could even watch our local city tv station from Toronto........only problem is, the volume was quite loud and could not be turned down...had a nice balcony and they supplied a bar for your wet clothes.

Restaurants and Bars
main dinner restaurant left alot to be desired, lunch and breakfast were fine...we upgraded and ate at the speciality restaurants..Casablanca, and Guiseppes....wonderful....men need long pants for Casablanca and no open toed shoes were allowed either.......some menu items were not extra....i.e. the lasagna was wonderful and it was included....at Guiseppes....wonderful staff especially Adrian at the Casablanca and Caroldean at Guiseppes....most bar staff very friendly...especially at the pool bar and boy, are they over worked...needed another bar by the pool....too many line ups most of the day...would recommend a Hummingbird drink..........wonderful and healthy with a fresh banana in it!!

Beach/Pools/Grounds
grounds were lovely, well kept and clean...pools by the beach were amazing...the private beach located to the right of the resort, is absolutely stunning, the water was so warm and you could walk out quite far...

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
lots of poolside activities, entertainment at night was mostly bands, but not every night.......good music...did not go on any tours....

Other Comments
this was definately a three star resort in many ways, and in some it exceeded our expectations....lots of families with children, so if that is a problem, you may want to stay somewhere else...heard that they are changing ownership in October and becoming a Breezes, so the price will definately go up, but hopefully there will be some renos done at the same time........all in all...considering everything, I would say it was definately rated a 7 out of 10 most days...

Arrival: Feb 10 - 17:
Flight was on time, the bus for transfer to the hotel was not at the airport when we arrived, but it did arrive within half an hour....it took approx. 35 minutes to arrive at hotel....smooth check in....as I was first in line!!

Rooms:

Rooms are in a need of an upgrade, rather disappointing on initial arrival, but after a few days, the room grew on us......bathroom sadly needs major makeover, but we had lots of hot water most days and lots of pressure for showers etc...the tv had tons of channels, could even watch our local city tv station from Toronto........only problem is, the volume was quite loud and could not be turned down...had a nice balcony and they supplied a bar for your wet clothes

Arrival: First I must say this is our 12th visit to this resort. We met one Canadian couple who were on their 18th visit and another couple on their 31st visit. Both couples spoke of many others they had met through the years who had been there anywhere from 10 to 30 times. Most of the returning guests were either from Canada or England. Our Air Canada flight was on time and the lineups at immigration were not too long. Things moved along fairly smoothly. One other flight arriving at same time. Lots of staff but tourists get tired after travelling and get cranky very easily and there is just no pleasing some of them. Our flight attendants were only handing out one immigration card per family but it should have been one per person. We told them we had been to the island many times and that one card per person is required. There was no convincing them that they were wrong and we all had to fill out the additional cards in the airport. This is an error the airlines make....it has nothing to do with the immigration staff so don't take it out on them.

Rooms: Our room was very clean and everthing in working order. Furniture is older but serviceable. Our room on each and every visit has been clean.

The fridges are stocked at the beginning of your visit with Jamaican softdrinks and water. This is not Canada or the U.S. so don't expect the same brands of pop as at home! If you want what is at home...stay at home!! There are 26oz. bottles of gin, rum, vodka and brandy in your room on your arrival. Additional bottles are charged at $7.00 U.S. Drinks are all free at the bar until they close at 1A.M. so there is likely no need of restocking anyway. Water througout the island is safe to drink which is wonderful compared to most other islands in the Caribbean or in Mexico. Bottled water is not necessary and the tap water tastes wonderful.

Arrival: First I must say this is our 12th visit to this resort. We met one Canadian couple who were on their 18th visit and another couple on their 31st visit. Both couples spoke of many others they had met through the years who had been there anywhere from 10 to 30 times. Most of the returning guests were either from Canada or England. Our Air Canada flight was on time and the lineups at immigration were not too long. Things moved along fairly smoothly. One other flight arriving at same time. Lots of staff but tourists get tired after travelling and get cranky very easily and there is just no pleasing some of them. Our flight attendants were only handing out one immigration card per family but it should have been one per person. We told them we had been to the island many times and that one card per person is required. There was no convincing them that they were wrong and we all had to fill out the additional cards in the airport. This is an error the airlines make....it has nothing to do with the immigration staff so don't take it out on them.

Rooms: Our room was very clean and everthing in working order. Furniture is older but serviceable. Our room on each and every visit has been clean.

The fridges are stocked at the beginning of your visit with Jamaican softdrinks and water. This is not Canada or the U.S. so don't expect the same brands of pop as at home! If you want what is at home...stay at home!! There are 26oz. bottles of gin, rum, vodka and brandy in your room on your arrival. Additional bottles are charged at $7.00 U.S. Drinks are all free at the bar until they close at 1A.M. so there is likely no need of restocking anyway. Water througout the island is safe to drink which is wonderful compared to most other islands in the Caribbean or in Mexico. Bottled water is not necessary and the tap water tastes wonderful.

Beach/Pools/Grounds::Beach: The beach has been taking a real beating from the weather. The sea level is very high and the undertow has been stripping the sand off the beach. Debris is constantly being brought on shore by the sea but the hotel staff works at cleaning the beach each morning.The resort is trucking in sand on a continuing basis to replenish the beach. By afternoon the beach will likely have some weeds or washed up coconuts on it but I would rather see that than have to walk around the maintenance staff out there with rakes all day! All beaches are public beaches in Jamaica and the locals are thus allowed to pass though the resort beach. They are not allowed to loiter and the security staff quickly sends them on their way if the try to stop and bother the guests. Sure they may ask you more than once to buy something but just be friendly, say no and they leave you alone. The locals are not nearly as aggressive as in Mexico. On either side of the beach there are security guards who will take your name and room number if you are leaving to wander the 'off property' beach. I like having security do this because it shows the resort is being responsible for its guests safety and offers you a peace of mind they want you to feel safe while on the island. We know of one guest who left on the beach and came back through the water. At the end of the afternoon when security checked their list and he was not checked off on the list as having returned to the resort his room was called and he was located to make sure he was back safe and sound.

Pools: There are four pools on the premises and all are kept extremely clean. Staff are out each morning cleaing and adjusting chemical levels. We have never seen the pools dirty or neglected on any of our visits. The most used pools are the sports pool and childrens pool nearest the beach.

Grounds: Each day there are grounds keepers out trimming and tending to the flowers, grass and trees. They are all very knowledgeable about the plants and if you have any questions about a particular type of flower or plant they are more than willing to take the time to tell you about them. We have overheard some guests stating that the leaves are falling off the trees etc but Jamaica has their own seasons and the leaves will fall and flowers will wilt....thats nature!

Arrival: First I must say this is our 12th visit to this resort. We met one Canadian couple who were on their 18th visit and another couple on their 31st visit. Both couples spoke of many others they had met through the years who had been there anywhere from 10 to 30 times. Most of the returning guests were either from Canada or England. Our Air Canada flight was on time and the lineups at immigration were not too long. Things moved along fairly smoothly. One other flight arriving at same time. Lots of staff but tourists get tired after travelling and get cranky very easily and there is just no pleasing some of them. Our flight attendants were only handing out one immigration card per family but it should have been one per person. We told them we had been to the island many times and that one card per person is required. There was no convincing them that they were wrong and we all had to fill out the additional cards in the airport. This is an error the airlines make....it has nothing to do with the immigration staff so don't take it out on them.

Rooms: Our room was very clean and everthing in working order. Furniture is older but serviceable. Our room on each and every visit has been clean.

The fridges are stocked at the beginning of your visit with Jamaican softdrinks and water. This is not Canada or the U.S. so don't expect the same brands of pop as at home! If you want what is at home...stay at home!! There are 26oz. bottles of gin, rum, vodka and brandy in your room on your arrival. Additional bottles are charged at $7.00 U.S. Drinks are all free at the bar until they close at 1A.M. so there is likely no need of restocking anyway. Water througout the island is safe to drink which is wonderful compared to most other islands in the Caribbean or in Mexico. Bottled water is not necessary and the tap water tastes wonderful.

Arrival: First I must say this is our 12th visit to this resort. We met one Canadian couple who were on their 18th visit and another couple on their 31st visit. Both couples spoke of many others they had met through the years who had been there anywhere from 10 to 30 times. Most of the returning guests were either from Canada or England. Our Air Canada flight was on time and the lineups at immigration were not too long. Things moved along fairly smoothly. One other flight arriving at same time. Lots of staff but tourists get tired after travelling and get cranky very easily and there is just no pleasing some of them. Our flight attendants were only handing out one immigration card per family but it should have been one per person. We told them we had been to the island many times and that one card per person is required. There was no convincing them that they were wrong and we all had to fill out the additional cards in the airport. This is an error the airlines make....it has nothing to do with the immigration staff so don't take it out on them.

Rooms: Our room was very clean and everthing in working order. Furniture is older but serviceable. Our room on each and every visit has been clean.

The fridges are stocked at the beginning of your visit with Jamaican softdrinks and water. This is not Canada or the U.S. so don't expect the same brands of pop as at home! If you want what is at home...stay at home!! There are 26oz. bottles of gin, rum, vodka and brandy in your room on your arrival. Additional bottles are charged at $7.00 U.S. Drinks are all free at the bar until they close at 1A.M. so there is likely no need of restocking anyway. Water througout the island is safe to drink which is wonderful compared to most other islands in the Caribbean or in Mexico. Bottled water is not necessary and the tap water tastes wonderful.

Arrival:
Flight - We flew Sunwing out of Toronto. Flight was delayed an hour, everything else was great.

Check-in - There were alot of us so checking in took quite some time.

Rooms:
I'm not a picky person when it comes to things like this, but our room was filthy. Earwigs on the door and in the bathtub. Ants in the sink, on the desk, and on the toilet. The room was very damp when we arrived and there was no water in the mini fridge. We arrived late, so we couldn't buy bottled water from the gift shop because it closes at 9pm. We drank from the tap (which is OK to drink in Jamaica) however would have been nice to have bottled water. My girlfriend stole cleaning supplies from the cleaning staff and cleaned our room inside out for 2 hours on the first night there. We turned on the AC to get rid of the dampness. Once we cleaned our room, had a nice cool,dry room, and bottled water the next day from the gift shop, the rest of our stay in our room was awesome. We only went to our room to sleep anyway. The view from the balcony was awesome and having so many friends there, it was nice to wave to people you knew across the hotel on the other balconies in the morning. Our room was 410 and we had an OK view of the ocean. At night, if the temperature in the room was above 20 degrees celsius, bugs got in through the vents. We also put a towel at the bottom of the door so ants couldn't get in at night. I found myself having to kill them at night while watching TV - the remote didn't work - even after programming it for that TV, it still didn't work - batteries weren't the problem. You will most likely not be impressed with the rooms here, so be ready to clean them yourself on the first night and if you are arriving late, make sure to buy bottled water at the airport beforehand so you can have bottled water. This is a 3 star after all, so expect a 3 star room. If you are prepared for a 3 star room, you'll be fine.

Arrival:
Flight - We flew Sunwing out of Toronto. Flight was delayed an hour, everything else was great.

Check-in - There were alot of us so checking in took quite some time.

Rooms:
I'm not a picky person when it comes to things like this, but our room was filthy. Earwigs on the door and in the bathtub. Ants in the sink, on the desk, and on the toilet. The room was very damp when we arrived and there was no water in the mini fridge. We arrived late, so we couldn't buy bottled water from the gift shop because it closes at 9pm. We drank from the tap (which is OK to drink in Jamaica) however would have been nice to have bottled water. My girlfriend stole cleaning supplies from the cleaning staff and cleaned our room inside out for 2 hours on the first night there. We turned on the AC to get rid of the dampness. Once we cleaned our room, had a nice cool,dry room, and bottled water the next day from the gift shop, the rest of our stay in our room was awesome. We only went to our room to sleep anyway. The view from the balcony was awesome and having so many friends there, it was nice to wave to people you knew across the hotel on the other balconies in the morning. Our room was 410 and we had an OK view of the ocean. At night, if the temperature in the room was above 20 degrees celsius, bugs got in through the vents. We also put a towel at the bottom of the door so ants couldn't get in at night. I found myself having to kill them at night while watching TV - the remote didn't work - even after programming it for that TV, it still didn't work - batteries weren't the problem. You will most likely not be impressed with the rooms here, so be ready to clean them yourself on the first night and if you are arriving late, make sure to buy bottled water at the airport beforehand so you can have bottled water. This is a 3 star after all, so expect a 3 star room. If you are prepared for a 3 star room, you'll be fine.

Arrival:
Flight - We flew Sunwing out of Toronto. Flight was delayed an hour, everything else was great.

Check-in - There were alot of us so checking in took quite some time.

Rooms:
I'm not a picky person when it comes to things like this, but our room was filthy. Earwigs on the door and in the bathtub. Ants in the sink, on the desk, and on the toilet. The room was very damp when we arrived and there was no water in the mini fridge. We arrived late, so we couldn't buy bottled water from the gift shop because it closes at 9pm. We drank from the tap (which is OK to drink in Jamaica) however would have been nice to have bottled water. My girlfriend stole cleaning supplies from the cleaning staff and cleaned our room inside out for 2 hours on the first night there. We turned on the AC to get rid of the dampness. Once we cleaned our room, had a nice cool,dry room, and bottled water the next day from the gift shop, the rest of our stay in our room was awesome. We only went to our room to sleep anyway. The view from the balcony was awesome and having so many friends there, it was nice to wave to people you knew across the hotel on the other balconies in the morning. Our room was 410 and we had an OK view of the ocean. At night, if the temperature in the room was above 20 degrees celsius, bugs got in through the vents. We also put a towel at the bottom of the door so ants couldn't get in at night. I found myself having to kill them at night while watching TV - the remote didn't work - even after programming it for that TV, it still didn't work - batteries weren't the problem. You will most likely not be impressed with the rooms here, so be ready to clean them yourself on the first night and if you are arriving late, make sure to buy bottled water at the airport beforehand so you can have bottled water. This is a 3 star after all, so expect a 3 star room. If you are prepared for a 3 star room, you'll be fine.

Arrival:
Flight - We flew Sunwing out of Toronto. Flight was delayed an hour, everything else was great.

Check-in - There were alot of us so checking in took quite some time.

Rooms:
I'm not a picky person when it comes to things like this, but our room was filthy. Earwigs on the door and in the bathtub. Ants in the sink, on the desk, and on the toilet. The room was very damp when we arrived and there was no water in the mini fridge. We arrived late, so we couldn't buy bottled water from the gift shop because it closes at 9pm. We drank from the tap (which is OK to drink in Jamaica) however would have been nice to have bottled water. My girlfriend stole cleaning supplies from the cleaning staff and cleaned our room inside out for 2 hours on the first night there. We turned on the AC to get rid of the dampness. Once we cleaned our room, had a nice cool,dry room, and bottled water the next day from the gift shop, the rest of our stay in our room was awesome. We only went to our room to sleep anyway. The view from the balcony was awesome and having so many friends there, it was nice to wave to people you knew across the hotel on the other balconies in the morning. Our room was 410 and we had an OK view of the ocean. At night, if the temperature in the room was above 20 degrees celsius, bugs got in through the vents. We also put a towel at the bottom of the door so ants couldn't get in at night. I found myself having to kill them at night while watching TV - the remote didn't work - even after programming it for that TV, it still didn't work - batteries weren't the problem. You will most likely not be impressed with the rooms here, so be ready to clean them yourself on the first night and if you are arriving late, make sure to buy bottled water at the airport beforehand so you can have bottled water. This is a 3 star after all, so expect a 3 star room. If you are prepared for a 3 star room, you'll be fine.

Arrival: May 22 - May 30:
Check in was easy, no wait, and they gave you a nice rum drink to enjoy while going through the process.

Rooms::
We were on the 7th floor and had a great view of the grounds and the ocean, but there were red ants all over the room. How do you get red ants in a room on the 7th floor? There were a couple of days that we had NO hot water at all! When we did have hot water the water pressure was lacking.

Restaurants and Bars::
The alcohol was good and free flowing. The food was not great...to say the least. Breakfast was ok, plenty of a selection, but that was the only meal that was worthwhile. There was little selection for lunch and dinner. In the 8 nights we were there we only had a carving station 2 nights. Other all-inclusives (again, only 3 stars) had carving stations each evening. Their pasta stations (when they had them) consisted of 2 tubs of macaroni and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs. Other places we've stayed at have had the stations where you pick your sauce and your ingredients. The evening selection improved slightly 2 nights, because there was a convention of the Federal Police of Jamaica. Other than that, it was horrible. The last day we were there I bit into a chicken leg, only to find it seriously undercooked. I don't know if this was a coincidence, but the next day I was sick! There were several times that we had to get our own water and silverware, even after they sat us! We paid to go to Giuseppe's and it was really good. Also went to the Japanese and it was fun, but food was extremely salty.

Beach/Pools/Grounds::
We are easy travelers, we go to St. Martin every year (this will be year #11). We have also gone to Antigua and the Dominican Republic several times to different all-inclusives. These were not 5 stars, mostly 3, or 3 1/2 star. These all far surpassed the Starfish. Suffice to say there were drug dealers offering drugs to my daughter and son-in-law on the beach, as well to others at the resort. They seem to target 20 and 30 something's. Some of these people actually worked for Superclubs! We had people on the beach asking us to get them food and others yelling at us when we elected not to buy what they were selling. At one point we watched the security guards hitting a man with a club...not my idea of a fun vacation! I wanted a long beach to walk but we never felt really safe enough to walk or even stay on the beach! After that happened the security guards came up and said no problem Mon. Yeah, right. The security guards and lifeguards hang around in one spot, and one day they were smoking marijuan.hello. No one says anything about this! The beach was also not nearly as pretty as those in St. Martin and the Dominican Republic.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel::
Chukka Canopy tour was wonderful, the workers did their best to make sure you had a great experience.

Other Comments::
The entertainment was vastly lacking. There were several instances where they used male staff members as female impersonators. This was funny the first time, not the 5th, 6th, etc. One night they had a beach party and that was fun, but as soon as they ended the music the locals were begging for food and asking if you wanted marijuana, again! I wish we had read a review like this before we went to the Starfish. If you have reservations, call your travel agent and change them you won't be sorry.

Arrival: Oct 2009
Arrival through Westjet Vacations was on time. Large bus to resort (with other drops-offs beyong our resort) and one stop for jerk-chicken/beer on the way. WARNING:We had a beer, my son had a pattie and on way out of the restaurant/bar we saw a DEAD RAT. My kids were traumatized.(Don't worry-the review gets better)

Rooms:
Our room was clean, basic and not beautiful. Everything was functional and we were on the 6th floor in mountainview. Crappy view but really quiet at night to sleep. The up/down side of mountainview vs ocean at this resort is the noise. Oceanview faces the entertainment which goes on quiet late. Cottages are a little more secluded. Anyway, the rooms were fine, no hot water/water pressure/ant issues.If I went again, I'd bring an old duvet and leave it there. My biggest complaint was the bedding.

Restaurants and Bars:
When we went, it was the week before Breezes took over so I believe there have been changes re:restaurants. One typical buffet (decent food, lacking in ambience) great japanese, italian, jamaican and beach grill. I liked all the food and we ate well. I don't understand the complaints over food.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Lots of pools and they are clean and well maintained. A couple of water slides, a kiddie pool, 3 hot tubs surrounded by bamboo. The hot tubs were drained each night, so they too were clean. The grounds were very well maintained. Not a huge beach but beautiful, nice little man-made island. We spent most of our time here..Wonderful.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did the Nine Mile tour and Dunn's River falls. Booked Nine Mile before we left home and paid way too much. Beyond the gate are some really nice drivers with clean vehicles...book your tours through them. Nine Mile is awesome, we loved it but it's far (almost 2 hours through terrbily windy roads). Worthwhile if y ou are a Marley fan only. Dunn's River Falls was a blast...so much fun.

Other Comments:
We had a great time at this resort.It's an older resort and I'd read enough reviews to know what to expect. Rooms are ugly, but beyond that, it's a great value. Wonderful, friendly staff, cold beer, good food...just what we wanted for a holiday.

Rooms in tower in definite need of renovation, but otherwise we enjoyed our stay very much. Enjoyed the food, people were wonderful, pools and beach excellent.

Your Arrival:
Our flight arrived very late d/t snow problems in Edmonton, had to wait at Montego Bay airport for a while for bus to pickup. Checkin was handled fairly quickly and our needs met once in room (crib was brought when requested at 11pm)

Rooms:
Hugely in need of maintenance - closet door hanging off, toilet leaked, no plug for tub, but our view was great (mountain view, but definitely still had an ocean view) and was very quiet. Found our bed quite comfortable. Water issues are a concern but we learned to shower in the morning or late at night (no hot water or pressure from 5 to 7 pm).

Restaurants and Bars:
We only used the buffet and the pool grill. Were not able to make a reservation for the other restaurants. Never had a problem getting a table even with our large group of 10 and the kids always found something to eat. Selection wasn't spectacular but everything I had was good. We ate our lunches at the pool grill - loved the nachos and cheese and burgers. Only thing we had that couldn't eat was the meat pattie things. Kids loved the self serve slushies.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beautiful sand and swimming beach. Local vendors have access to beach but if you say no thank you they don't bother you. Pools were very nice and actually usable - have been places where the water was so cold you couldn't go in it. My kids loved the variety of pools here.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Went on best of Ochos Rios tour. long day but pleasant. Plantation tour is great - guide was awesome. Dunn's River falls is definitely worthwhile, BUT do not do it on a national holiday - was way too crowded. Also be prepared for a very aggressive crowd at the market there. Dolphin Cove was nice - fish & chips EXCELLENT. Good price for dolphin swim compared to many other places.

Other Comments:
We enjoyed our stay very much. Rooms aren't the best, but we spent very little time in them. Would return

Your Arrival:
We were initially disappointed upon our arrival, because the lobby area seemed shabby and old-fashioned, especially at 2 am in the morning! This impression was reinforced when we were given what was probably the worst room in the hotel - number 345 - right next to the air-conditioning units for the entire hotel. We were so tired, we just fell into bed, and the next morning we requested another room. We were offered a choice of two, and chose one on the ground floor, which overlooked the pool and the crazy golf course. From that point on, our holiday was amazing.

Rooms:
Adequate. Somewhat shabby - the bathroom was in great need of renovation, but the bed was reasonably comfortable, there was a mini fridge and a coffee maker. As we didn't intend spending much time in the room other than for sleeping, we were not worried by the poor decorative state. The maid service was good, and we were satisfied with the level of cleanliness in the room.

Restaurants and Bars:
Very good. We used the buffet almost every day and the food was excellent. Wide variety and good quality. We went to the a la carte restaurant once - the Casablanca - which was superb. Beach grill had great jerk chicken and fries, and all the bar staff were great.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was small, but we spent most of our days there. There is a small island just off the beach, but we didn't use that. The locals will try and sell you stuff but a polite 'no thank you' is all that is needed. We actually enjoyed chatting to them, and getting to know some of them - Tony, Super Dave, Charlie, Moses - they are great characters if you take the time to talk to them. Of course, they all want to sell you something, though - so buy a few things, then say "no more!"

The flowers and trees on the grounds are beautiful. We went up to the 7th floor and took pictures of the sea and the surrounding countryside. We got some lovely sunset shots from up there.

We didn't go in the pools at all, but they looked very nice.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We got Moses to take us to Dunn's River Falls. The falls are beautiful, but it was just too commercialized for our taste. We stopped off at Runaway Bay on the way home, and visited Discovery Bay. Great outing.

We went to the Luminous Lagoon one evening, which was fun. Not what I was expecting - I had imagined a palm tree fringed lagoon away from everything, but in fact it was rather industrialized, but still fun. The fish showed as luminous streaks under the water, and we swam in the lagoon. The bottom of the lagoon is very soft mud so don't put your feet down!

We went on the snorkelling trip a couple of times from the resort. This is included in the holiday price. They take you out to the reef. It was okay, but really not that much to see on the days we went.

Other Comments:
We loved this place. The staff were friendly, and we met some great folks from the US and Canada.

The only downside to this trip was the travel there and back. On the way there, we had to stop at Punta Cana and there was a 2-hour delay. What should have been a 4 hour journey ended up being almost 12 hours from start to arrival at the resort. The same on the way back, but without the 2 hour delay. This was all due to a hotel overbooking problem, and it was our first (and probably last) experience of travelling with Sunwing. We never had this kind of nightmare with Skyservice or Transat!

Other than that, we had a great time, and apart from the fact that we want to try other places, would recommend this resort, and would probably go back again.